Sustainable Innovation: Pioneering Brands That Lead The Way

Sustainability and innovation are two concepts that are increasingly intertwined. Brands are using innovation to drive the sustainability agenda forwards, maximising social impact while minimasing environmental footprint.

From choosing new methods of production to developing ground-breaking materials, these brands are leading the way towards a better future.

Po-Zu

British brand Po-Zu works with Portuguese factories to create award-winning shoes that contain no pesticides, bleaches or toxic dyes. Po-Zu has incorporated some groundbreaking ideas into their designs, such as glue-less shoe construction, a multipurpose compostable shoebox, and an edible shoe cream. Its most recent designs also feature innovative materials such as pineapple-derived Piñatex and cork as vegan alternatives to leather.

Hevea

Hevea creates irresistible baby products that are kind on both the planet and your little one. The Danish brand forgoes synthetic materials and uses natural, sustainable rubber to make to make its toys, pacifiers and teethers. To further reduce its impact, Hevea is developing a closed-loop recycling programme for its plastic-free products. Simply send back your used Hevea pacifiers and the brand will re-use the rubber and offer you a discount on your next order.

Unmade

Something that is rarely discussed about the fast fashion industry is just how much unsold product is sent to be destroyed, wasting vast amounts of water, time and materials in the process. Unmade are aiming to counteract this by creating unique knitted garments can be made at the same cost and speed as mass production. A sustainability success story, they’ve worked on projects with the British Fashion Council, designed an award-winning catwalk collection with Christopher Raeburn and built a concept store within Selfridges.

KAPLAN MD

One of Positive Luxury’s beauty #brandstotrust, KAPLAN MD combines medical grade ingredients with certified organic extracts. Founder and dermatologist Stuart Kaplan’s philosophy is to cut down on unnecessary products, creating a pared-back yet super-effective skincare regime. The LA-based brand was the first luxury brand to claim 100% paraben, sulfate, BPA, petroleum jelly and cruelty free across every single product.

Aitch Aitch

Fish skin may be an unlikely candidate for a cow leather substitute, but accessories brand Aitch Aitch has built an entire brand around the material. The company are cultivating a reputation for working with a byproduct of the fishing industry – salmon skins sourced from Ireland – which are then worked into fabric in traditional leather studios in Europe. The unusual material replicates the look of exotic skins, yet has a considerably lesser environmental impact – read our previous blog Catch of the Day: The Fish Leather Trend to find out more.

Olivia Gagan

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With respect, while you promote KAPLAN MD as being sustainable and innovative, how seriously do we take a brand that only lists “Key Ingredients” on its website? As consumers, should we have full disclosure of ALL INGREDIENTS before we hit the “buy button.”

Fiona Fung

Hi Mike, thanks so much for your interest and for wanting to know more about the transparency of our brands. Kaplan MD has recently joined the Positive Luxury community, and they have been working on updating their website with a full list of ingredients. If you would like to learn more about the full list of ingredients in the meantime, please e-mail info@kaplanmd.com.